KIEV, March 9 (Reuters) - Russian former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, addressing a crowd on the square where demonstrators rose up against Ukraine's Moscow-backed president, said on Sunday Russia had been complicit in police violence against the protesters.

Khodorkovsky, one of President Vladimir Putin's biggest critics, dismissed suggestions by Moscow that the protesters are "neo-fascists" bent on violence, saying: "Russian propaganda lies, as always. There are no fascists or Nazis here."

Force was used against the protesters last month, he said, "with the agreement of the Russian authorities".

We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. For more information see our Acceptable Use Policy.